The water was both icy cold, and slimy from algae. It felt slick on Kip’s scales. He opened his eyes and saw the light above the water. He doggy paddled his way up and breached the surface. The catamaran was once again jostled by the waves of the water mage and the hull smacked Kip in the skull.

  “Kobold overboard!” Said Jasssper, “We need him alive!”

  “Something tells me this story is about to become an obituary!”

  “SQUAAW!” said Dic.

  Julio slipped his cowl off and dove head first into the water. The first thing he noticed was the crocodile sniffing near Kip. With his long leg, he kicked the crocodile in the nose, giving him enough trouble that the crocodile chose to find a different prey.

  Julio swam through the water with little resistance, grabbed Kip and pulled him up. He grabbed the side of the boat and attempted to pull himself up.

  Blingo and Dic were there to help. They each grabbed his hand and pulled at the ends, “Come on, kid! We can’t lose our scoop now!”

  Jasssper looked at a few more of the pirates getting their grappling hooks ready. One archer launched their arrow at the body of the deck, a rope attached to the projectile.

  “Looks like they’ll be invading soon!” Jasssper said, “Is the young lord okay?”

  Julio looked down at Kip, “Uh, he’s a little unconscious. Can anyone help?”

  “Hey, Jasssper, why don’t you come Kiss him.” Blingo said, “It’s said that a true love’s kiss will wake sleeping beauty.”

  “Don’t mock me!” Jasssper hissed, “I shall do what I mussst!”

  “Do you know how to resuscitate him?” Julio asked Blingo.

  “Sorta, maybe, no. My lungs are too teenie tiny to be of any assistance. Hey, you got that water thing going on. You don’t think that will help?”

  Julio stared at Kip. He held his arms on top of Kip and hovered them over. Blingo stared. Her pen touched the notebook, ready to write: “Here lies the shortest lived dark lord. He was also short in real life.”

  Julio’s hands hovered, feeling the energy inside of Kip. Then, like a mattress with a pea under it, he felt a slight… imbalance. There it was. The water. Julio tensed his fingers, exercising his mana, and grabbed onto it. He shifted his hands slowly, toward Kip’s throat, making sure to keep his tenuous hold on it. Then, when Kip’s mouth opened and Julio could see the bubble… he pulled with force. The water bubble burst and Kip coughed as the air rushed back into his lungs. Kip coughed so hard a capillary in his eye burst. He punched his chest and looked up.

  “What happened?”

  Dic opened her beak and said in Blingo’s voice, “You got that water thing going on.”

  Kip looked at Julio, “Julio! You brilliant boy! You did it!”

  Julio smiled, “We've still got some pirates to fight.”

  And just as they said that, the whizz of a cannon ball flew overhead. Kip forced Julio’s head to duck as the blast just barely missed his head.

  Kip got up, he cried out to the other pirate ship, “What is it you want!?” Asked Kip.

  “Your loot!”

  “Do we have loot?” Kip asked Jasssper.

  “No, sire.”

  “We don’t have loot!” Said Kip.

  “Yeah, we’ve heard that one before!” Yelled the pirate. Three archers readied aim and fired. Kip hid behind the mast as the three arrows plunged into the wood.

  “Retaliate it is,” Kip said.

  Blademan shot a ranged blade attack at the pirates. The cut landed and pierced an archer’s fingers as well as cut the string off the bow.

  Blademan turned back to Kip “Let’s get you back on that cannon.”

  Kip ran toward the hand cannon again with Jasssper. Julio said, “Can I join!?”

  Kip turned back, “Uhh, your mother would kill me but… just try to stay safe.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Julio nodded. He hung on the other side of the deck as he lifted three more bubbles of water to shoot at the boat. Their trajectory arched and they lost their sharpness on the way, it hit the water mage in the chest, knocking her down. She was quickly back up to fight again.

  “Your water magic isn’t bad. But it’s not very good either!” The mage swished her hand, chanting something. A runic circle formed with six available circles. Water from the lake came and split six ways to fill the empty circles. With one more shift of her fingers, each of the water blobs turned to ice. Julio hid behind the mast, but the mage was not done with the spell. She pushed her hand and the sharpened ice shards followed her orders. When she swished her hand to the right, they listened as well. They were not just being shot willy-nilly, she kept her grip on the water droplets as she sent them onto the ship. Like watery drones propelled by a psychic hold, they ran through the deck until they were on the other side of the mast. Facing Julio.

  The seeker missiles approached Julio, ready to strike. Julio attempted to take hold of the seeker missiles but they were firmly under the water mage’s thrall. Just then one of them smashed into pieces. Julio turned to see and saw that Blingo had grabbed a cannon ball, and broken one of them. All the other seeker missiles turned to see that one of them had been eradicated. They faced Blingo in anger and approached her, but Dic reached out and broke another one by chomping on one with her beak. Blingo ran as the missiles fired. Julio attacked the ice shards with water. They pushed on the tails of the seeker missiles and changed the trajectory enough that they shattered next to Blingo and not inside of her.

  “Thanks, kid,” Said Blingo.

  Julio nodded.

  “She’s very good!” Called out Julio to Kip.

  “The water mage?” Kip asked.

  “Yes! Maybe she can teach me!” Julio said, just then another wave she’d created hit the catamaran and jostled the boat enough to fell Julio to his knees.

  “Maybe!” Kip said, “I’ll ask!”

  “He’ll ask?” Blingo scratched her head with the back of her quill.

  Kip grabbed the cannon and pointed it toward.

  “Yoo hoo! Water mage!”

  The young water mage was once again creating elaborate gestures with her hands. The archers primed their bows and took aim at Kip. Blademan saw that.

  “Blade!” Blademan said, as he tossed a beam of bladic energy at the archer. It stuck him like a point right in the heart and he dropped down the mast. Falling on top of another archer.

  “Be careful there, Kippo!” Blademan said.

  “Yes, sire, what are you doing?”

  “Miss Mage! Would you train this young pupil? He’s looking for a valuable teacher!”

  “What!?” Shouted the water mage. “I would not dare train the enemy to be better than I! Besides, I’m still just a student! I’m a Steerboil sixth year and my pristine Steerboil learning can only be done in the confines of said classroom!”

  “Steerboil?” Repeated Kip.

  “Yes, the premiere wizarding school in all the kingdom and in fact the world. Do you really think your water mage is good enough for that?”

  “Show them!” Kip said, turning to Julio.

  Julio said, “Okay, Kip. But you’re not going to like it.”

  “Why? It’s just a bit of magic! Should be fine!”

  “I have to get closer.”

  Kip went pale, “Oh.”

  The water mage lifted water from the lake and created a wall. The other archer still standing shot at Julio as he ran toward the starboard of the ship. Julio ducked his head but kept his speed.

  Kip looked at Jasssper as he loaded another shell in the hand cannon, “Grow up fast, don’t they?”

  “We’ll have to trussst him.” Said Jasssper.

  Kip finished plugging the cannon and lit it with a cough.

  “The water mage is giving us the most trouble!” Jasssper said.

  “But she’s not ours. Aim it at the archer right behind her.”

  Julio leapt off the boat and dove into the water. The water mage smiled. She could use a sentry spell to find him and then she’d have him in her grasp. Considering she was likely a much higher level mage, the outcome was all but settled. She flickered her fingers and chanted to cast the sentry spell. As she neared completion, the thunderous whistle of a cannon broke her concentration. She ducked in fear, when she looked back up, she saw that the archer behind her had been wiped clean off the ship.

  She once again attempted the sentry spell, moving her trembling fingers as fast as they would go. She was aware she had lost precious time and the cannon over her head was meant to distract her. She completed the spell, meant to turn your enemy’s presence bright red in the water. She looked for him. He was already out of the water, jutting up toward her. Julio leapt high into the air, pulling a geyser of water up with him. He pressed both of his arms away from his chest, summoning a flow of water to push the water mage out. She slid along the deck and fell on the other side of the boat.

  One of the pirates took out his sword and ran up to Julio. He gave a farewell salute as he let himself dive back into the water. The pirate slashed at nothing.

  “Good stuff,” Kip said, ”A natural fighter.”

  “He has the one move, Sire,” Jasssper said, “But he’s using it effectively.”

  “I’ll say. Think of where he’d be with the proper tutor.”

  “Everywhere,” Jasssper said.

  The full cannon had been filled again. The two man team pointed it at the captain navigating the ship and fired it. The ball crushed the railing, and took out the whole captain as well as the helm.

  “Woah!” KIp said, “They’re playing for keeps!”

  “Seems as though they are.”

  “If they load that cannon up again, We’re done.” Blademan said, “They’re already circling to the front. They have us where they want us.”

  “What will they do to us when they get us?” Kip asked.

  “If they find out you’re the dark lord, I think they’ll take you hostage and make you pay ransom.

  “Take my Kippo hostage?” Blademan asked, “No, no. Not going to happen. Don’t worry, Kippo! I’ve got something planned.”

  “Blademan!” Kip said,” I’m going to need you to go all out.”

  Blademan chuckled, “You know, Kippo, when they tested me, I was level 12! Imagine that! So… since I've been working for you guys.. I managed to move up to level 13. I even got a powerup! I see why so many people are attracted to the Dark Lord’s system. It’s a way of getting stronger faster. I gotta try this new thing out!”

  “I insist you do! The names they give are a suggestion, Blademan!” Kip said, “You don’t have to call it that to activate it!”

  “Perfect. Blademan ran and leapt off the deck, twisting his body to the side before he cast his move.

  “Ultimate Move: Man-Shurikan Candidate”

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